682 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



Cuckoos are plentiful during the breeding season only, or perhaps they are only 

 observed then, as that is the season during which they are most vociferous. 

 Had there been any others at all plentiful they would doubtless have been 

 obtained ; and when some eight nests are found of the same species in the 

 same locality, it is very unlikely that they should belong to any very rare bird 

 which Mr. Primrose has never seen. Of course Cacomanlis merulinus may 

 occur, but we doubt it ; and if it should occur it is certainly very rare. We 

 discard the Drongo Cuckoo because at that time we shot a bird of this species 

 which contained a fully developed but unshelled egg. This egg was very 

 much larger than any of the eggs found in any of the sun-bird's nests. The 

 Drongo Cuckoo is also most likely to lay in the nests of the Dicrurklcc and 

 though this argument does not hold much weight, it is supported by such 

 oologists as Messrs. Davidson, Bell and Col. Rattray. Nor did we shoot any 

 Drongo Cuckoos in the vicinity of any of these nests ; on the other hand we 

 did procure a specimen of the Violet one, and heard others calling. Taking 

 everything into consideration we can but come to the conclusion that our eggs 

 can belong to nothing but the Violet Cuckoo. 



The Indian Koel {Eudynamh honorata). — On the 7th July 1906 I personally 

 superintended the taking of a Myna's (A. tristis) nest, which contained three 

 myna's eggs and one of the Koel. This was found on a peepul tree at Anarh 

 Fcty., a few miles from here. I sent a note to Mr. Stuart Baker about it, which 

 he intended quoting in his notes on the Cuckoos. As he has not done so 

 I now send it as it is, I believe, the first time that this has been noted, and it 

 appears to me to be worthy of record. 



CHAS. M. INGLIS. 



Baghownie Fcty., Darbhanga, T. S. Rv. 



29th March 1908. 



No. XV —ON THE NESTING HABITS OF THE SMALL INDIAN 



SPOTTED EAGLE (AQUILA HAST AT A). 

 With reference to Mr. Whymper's interesting note (page 187 of this Vol.) on 

 the habits of Aquila hastata while nesting, and in which he asks if any one 

 had noticed a similar tendency on the part of this eagle to move its eggs when 

 disturbed, I may mention what possibly was only a coincidence, but may have 

 been also an instance of this kind. The only nest I ever obtained of A quila 

 hastata was in the Tumkur district of Mysore, and was as long ago as March 

 1878. An eagle's nest was reported to me, but not visited for two or three days. 

 When I went to visit it, I found it empty, but an eagle flew from a very small 

 tattered looking nest on a tree some fifteen yards from the other. I shot the 

 bird (now in the South Kensington Museum) and she contained a shelled egg 

 which was broken by the shot. The nest contained a single fresh egg. I 

 found beneath the original nest the remains of a broken eagle's egg. At the 

 time I considered that owing to wind or some disturbance the egg had fallen 

 from the original nest, and that she had consequently deserted and taken 



